Golden State Warriors beat Denver Nuggets 116-114 (Part II)
After an evenly contested first half, which finished with the Warriors leading by two, Nene netted one to tie the scores at the start of the second. However, the Nuggets were in store for some belligerent play from the Warriors, which they didn’t see coming.
David Lee made a jumper to start a 13-5 run that extended the Warriors’ advantage to 83-75. A Dorell Wright three-pointer minutes later made it 90-79, as the Warriors started to run away with the game.
Carmelo Anthony though, stepped up to salvage the Nuggets campaign, nipping the Warriors surge with two charity throws. Keyon Martin followed suit with a three-point play and the Nuggets were back within six. Monta Ellis and company though, were simply unstoppable as they pounded seven straight to rock the visitors again.
Al Harrington and Anthony however, restored some respectability for the Nuggets in the latter part of the third frame. The duo combined to outscore the Warriors 8-3 in the final minute to enter the fourth quarter trailing by 92-100.
The teams hit the ground with the same offensive intensity to start off the fourth quarter, as both scored thrice on their first four possessions. However, soon the pressure of the situation started to get the better of the players, who went cold.
The Warriors seemed to be the worse-hit side as they helplessly watched the Nuggets chip away at their advantage. When the field goals didn’t suffice, they attempted long-range shots to restore their momentum, but that didn’t work either. That allowed the Bronchos to close in to within striking distance at 110-111 with over a minute left in regulation time.
It was David Lee who eventually halted the Warriors’ barren stretch as he slipped in two free throws to extend the cushion to three points. Carmelo Anthony responded for the Nuggets on the very next possession, driving past the home teams’ defence for a difficult layup. Monta Ellis though, scorched the Nuggets with a three-point effort, which turned the game on its head.
However, it was not over, as J.R. Smith made good on Denver’s next possession to slash the deficit by two points. When Ellis missed a three-pointer on the Warriors very next attempt, the Nuggets were presented with a realistic opportunity of winning the game. With 7.9 seconds left on the clock, Smith snatched the defensive rebound after a wild scramble. However, instead of finding Anthony, the ball ended up in Nene’s hands who drained a fall-away shot.
However, 2.3 seconds were still left in the match and the Nuggets would still have had a lifeline, if only Denver Coach George Karl would have called a time out. To Anthony’s surprise, Karl never did and the ball never fell to him. Anthony stormed off the court quickly, avoiding any eye contact and headed straight to the locker-room, clearly upset after scoring 29 points only to watch the Nuggets fumble their last ditch chance.
Anthony expressed his surprise over the move after the game. He said, "We made a good defensive stop, J.R. (Smith) got the rebound, I was calling for it and then I saw him just take off. And then I'm thinking he's going to take it across half court, get control of it and call timeout. But it didn't happen like that. And then I'm thinking, 'Why didn't George call timeout either?"
Tags: